The present invention relates to devices for injecting, infusing, delivering, dispensing or administering a substance, and to methods of making and using such devices. More particularly, it relates to a device comprising a needle protecting or covering sleeve for protecting against injuries from an injection needle using which a liquid product, e.g. a drug, can be injected into a patient. In one embodiment, the invention relates to an administering device comprising a needle protecting sleeve, wherein the device is suitable for delivering a drug based on FSH or an FSH variant. The device can also be suitable for delivering neuroleptic drugs, vasodilative agents, blood products, drugs for treating rheumatic diseases, oncological drugs or drugs for treating infectious diseases. For the purpose of the present invention, “liquid drugs” is regarded as meaning not only liquids in the narrower sense but also pasty and gelatinous drugs, providing such drugs can be conveyed in a way comparable to a liquid. In some embodiments, the administering device is an injection apparatus for administering using an infusing injection needle, e.g. for a subcutaneous injection, but can in principle also be, for example, an injection apparatus for administering without a needle or an inhalation apparatus. In some preferred embodiments, an injection device in accordance with the present invention may be a so-called injection pen.
A device for administering an injectable product in doses is known from EP 0 956 875 A2 and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,068. In this device, a deflector is pushed into a needle protecting sleeve counter to the force of a spring to remove the needle protecting cap, wherein an engaging element which is fastened to the deflector engages with the needle protecting cap and slaves said cap and removes it from the needle when the deflector moves out of the needle protecting sleeve in the distal direction.